


Vampires Are Easy, Sexuality Is Hard

by destielfluffnstuff



Series: A Million Different Destiel Episodes (Standalones) [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Universe, Dean struggles with his sexuality, Episode Style, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Human Castiel, Lots of touching and general cuteness, M/M, Mild Internalized Homophobia, Mutual Pining, No season 14 spoilers, Possessive Castiel, Possessive Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-14 13:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16041689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/destielfluffnstuff/pseuds/destielfluffnstuff
Summary: With a vampire nest snatching gay men in  Seattle, Sam convinces Dean he should pretend he’s Castiel’s boyfriend  to help them blend in as they case out gay bars. The trouble is Seattle  has alotof gay bars, and Dean’s buried feelings for Cas are actually quite real.In which Dean keeps forgetting the relationship is fake and Cas gets a little bit possessive.





	Vampires Are Easy, Sexuality Is Hard

**Author's Note:**

> All set up stuff is mine and not a spoiler, set vaguely in the near future. Beta’d by the lovely charliedeewnchstr-st and broadwayloverforever.
> 
> Happy (slightly belated) 10 year anniversary everyone! :D

* * *

 

Dean glanced over at Cas where he sat at the kitchen table, engrossed in his book. Castiel had smiled at Dean when he first came into the room before going back to his reading. Dean didn’t think he’d even noticed the meal he was preparing.

When he was finished, Dean came around the table, dropping a plate with a tall sandwich down in front of Castiel. He frowned down at the other man.

“You need to eat something, Cas,” he said, squeezing his shoulder before taking the seat across from him, his own plate in hand. “Like, in between the meals I make for you.”

Castiel looked slightly embarrassed as he pushed away the lore book he’d been studying, pulling the plate over instead. “Yes, I know. I just forget.”

Dean sighed. They’d had this conversation before. Castiel would get hungry, sure. He would just forget to do anything about it. Dean wondered if it was because Castiel had gotten used to hunger when he’d been homeless, the previous time he’d been human. But he was afraid to ask.

Dean had conflicted feelings about Castiel’s recent choice to sacrifice his grace. He’d saved a lot of people, but Dean hated to see Cas struggling with his humanity.

Cas was living in the bunker full time now and Dean was thrilled to have him around more. Although just thinking about that made Dean feel guilty, it wasn’t fair that something that was so difficult for Cas made Dean happy. But he just couldn’t help it, he loved spending time with Cas.

He was definitely conflicted.

“I’m mostly used to being human,” Castiel said, as if he knew what Dean was thinking. He took a bite out of his sandwich. “Some things are more difficult than others.” He glanced up at Dean, an unrecognizable emotion flickering in his eyes before his focus returned to his meal. “But food certainly tastes better. Especially when you prepare it, you are quite talented, Dean.”

Dean smiled, pleased with the compliment. “Thanks! Maybe if I teach you some of my tricks you’ll get better at making your own meals.”

Castiel smiled, a little brighter. “I’d enjoy that.”

At that moment, Sam walked into the room, speaking to someone on his phone. “Okay yeah, we’ll take care of it… No, Mom and Jack are off researching Nephilim in Israel… No don’t worry, Cas is here, the three of us can handle it… Okay, bye Jody.” Sam put his phone back in his pocket.

“Jody got a case for us?” Dean asked, perking up from his sandwich. They’d had an unusual dry spell, the break from hunting had been nice for a little while, but he was ready to get back on the road.

Sam nodded. “A vampire nest in Seattle. Jody thinks it’s pretty big, thought it would be best for us to take care of it. It’s a long drive but she doesn’t have anyone closer that’s got the experience for a job this big.”

“You don’t gotta convince me,” Dean said, getting up and taking his sandwich with him, clapping Cas on the shoulder on the way by. “Let’s get out of here.”

* * *

They drove straight through, Sam and Dean taking turns driving so the other could sleep. Castiel kept offering to drive, but Dean didn’t entirely trust him behind the wheel. He was prone to falling asleep at random, just like eating he claimed he wasn’t used to the warning signs yet.

When they finally made it to Seattle they checked into a cheap motel in the north end of town. It was conveniently close to a waffle house, and that was where they found themselves eating dinner that night.

Dean was stuffing his face with waffles, while Sam was on his laptop again. Cas sat next to Dean, cutting his waffles into reasonable bites as he ate. He was displaying far more decorum than a waffle house required, but Dean was just happy to see him eating.

Dean smiled at Cas, leaning over to bump shoulders. “I told you you’d like this place,” he said with a grin. “We should buy a waffle iron so we can make them at home.”

“I would like that very much,” Castiel said, nodding eagerly. “I would like to try the other toppings from the menu.”

“Are you boys enjoying your meals?”

Dean looked up at the waitress. She was a pretty blond girl, and she smiled at them, eyes lingering on Castiel for a moment.

Dean propped his arm on Castiel’s shoulder and leaned into his space, grinning up at the waitress. “Yes we are. My buddy here loves your waffles.”

She laughed a little. “Glad to hear it, let me know if you want anything else! I’ll be around.”

Dean watched her go, distantly aware that she was exactly his type. Once upon a time he would have made a move on her, but picking up strangers wasn’t really his thing these days.

He turned back to Castiel, smiling fondly at the other man.

“Hey, so get this,” Sam said, drawing Dean’s attention away from Cas. “It looks like all the victims so far have a pretty specific type. From what I can tell, they’ve been mostly gay men.”

Dean’s eyes went wide, and he glanced over at Castiel without thinking about it. He watched the other man’s brow furrow with concern as he leaned in closer to Sam.

“It was pretty obvious once I started to look at their social media stuff,” Sam said.

Dean frowned. He didn’t want to think of his brother as being observant of these things, he wanted to continue to believe he was completely oblivious.

“Do they have anything else in common?” Dean asked.

“Not that I can tell,” Sam said, shaking his head. “Although I suppose they’re all relatively attractive.” He turned the computer around, showing Dean and Cas the grid of seven very handsome young men.

Dean shrugged and looked away. “I suppose so,” he mumbled, returning his focus to his meal.

“Unfortunately the first three have already been found, dead and drained,” Sam said, face grim. “They were all dumped on the same day, which is why Jody thinks it’s a big nest.”

Dean considered that. “Yeah, makes sense. Takes more than a couple vamps to drain three grown men.”

“So anyway, my guess is the vampires are using gay bars as hunting grounds,” Sam said, looking up from his computer. “I guess that’s where we should start. Check out some bars, talk to people and see what they’ve heard.”

Castiel nodded. “That’s a reasonable assumption. It would be helpful to talk to people who know them.”

Sam smiled wryly. “Yeah, but here’s the kicker. Seattle has a _lot_ of gay bars. There are way more than we can do in one night, so we’ll have to really get to know the scene.”

Dean couldn’t help but glance around, checking to see if anyone heard that, if anyone was looking at them.

Sam turned his computer toward them again, pointing at some pins he’d saved on a map. “So we’ll start with this one called Q Place tonight. But we definitely should also check out this one called the Boiler Lounge, then Stud Puppy, and then the Unicorn.” Sam frowned for a moment and leaned in closer to his laptop. “Oh wait, the Unicorn isn’t a gay bar. Huh, interesting, you would think…”

“This is Seattle, Sammy, it’s a weird place,” Dean said, distracted. He was still watching his surroundings. “And do you have to talk so loud? People are going to think _we’re_ gay.”

Sam rolled his eyes, turning his computer back. “Dean, we’re going to go case out a bunch of gay bars, probably for multiple nights. You’re going to have to get used to people thinking we’re gay.”

Dean huffed at that, but had no counter argument.

Sam smirked, looking between Cas and Dean. “Which reminds me, we need a story.”

Dean recognized a familiar sparkle in Sam’s eyes. The same look he used to get during an epic prank war. Dean glowered. “Whatever you’re thinking, no.”

Sam grinned. “So obviously you and Cas should be a couple, and I can be your super supportive straight brother who’s comfortable enough to go out with you guys to gay bars!”

“No, absolutely not,” Dean growled, Sams words cutting a little too close to that part of his mind he kept locked up tight. “If anyone is going to play gay it will be you. Cas and I will play the straight ones.” He blanched. “ _Are_ the straight ones.”

Castiel frowned. “I am neither gay nor straight, Dean.” He looked to Sam. “If Dean isn’t comfortable with it, I will play your boyfriend, I am not concerned with the opinions of strangers.”

Oh _shit_ , that was even worse. All the color drained out of Dean’s face. The idea of having to sit there, all night, _multiple_ nights, and watch Sam pretend to be in love with Cas… Watch Cas pretend to be in love with Sam…

“Fine!” Dean snapped, cutting Sam off before he could agree with Cas. “You can be the straight brother, I’ll be with Cas.”

Dean buried himself in eating his waffles, doing his best to ignore the triumphant expression on Sam’s face and the warmth blooming across his own cheeks.

* * *

Dean parked the Impala in what he hoped was a secure garage, but given they were downtown he knew nothing was a guarantee.

“You’ve got to leave the trench coat, Cas,” Sam was saying, looking them both up and down. “We’ll never stand a chance if you look like an accountant.”

“Accountants come in a variety of sexual orientations, Sam,” Castiel chastised, but he took off the trench coat anyway, folding it up neatly and leaving it in the backseat of the Impala.

“Suit jacket too,” Sam said, waving for Cas to hand it over. “And the tie.”

Dean watched as Castiel stripped down to just his white button up shirt, and for a minute he couldn’t help but stare. How had he never noticed how attractive Cas was in his white button up shirt?

Around the bunker Cas had been slowly experimenting with other clothing options, but on hunts he always seemed to go back to what he was most comfortable wearing. It made Dean comfortable somehow, too. Being reminded of Castiel’s new humanity always did funny things to his stomach that he didn’t want to think about.

“You’re not going to make me take this off too, are you?” Castiel asked, spreading his arms wide for Sam.

Sam laughed. “No, this will have to do.” He turned his gaze to Dean, eyeing his flannel shirt and cargo jacket.

Dean put out a hand. “Don’t even think about it, Sammy.”

“Don’t worry, I think that you fit in with Seattle pretty well in that,” Sam said, nodding to himself. “Okay, I think we’re ready.”

Dean tried to hide his anxiety as Sam led them down the street toward their first stop.

“Here it is,” Sam said, pointing to a line of people standing under a sign that said Q Place.

“This seems to be a very popular homosexual establishment,” Castiel said, as they headed for the line of people outside the bar. Or maybe it was more of a club, based on the bumping music coming through the walls.

Dean rolled his eyes, grabbing Castiel’s arm. “Gay bar, Cas. If you call them ‘homosexual establishments’ people will think you’re one of those crazy right-wingers who believes they’re all abominations.”

Castiel frowned. “You know I don’t believe that, Dean.”

“Yeah, Cas, you’re ‘indifferent to sexual orientation,’” Dean said, repeating the former angel’s phrase. “But other gay people won’t know that, so just say gay bar, okay?”

Castiel nodded, expression quite serious. “Okay Dean. You know I don’t want to offend anyone.”

Dean smiled, putting a hand on Castiel’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “Yeah, I know.”

Sam chuckled behind them. “You two make an adorable couple.”

“Shut it, Sammy,” Dean snapped, pulling his hand away from Cas. He turned back to Sam, speaking in a low voice so that nobody around them could hear. “The couple thing is stupid, we don’t need to be together to play gay.”

Sam smiled innocently at Dean. “I just figured it would be easier if you two said you’re together to avoid people trying to pick you up.”

Dean gaped for a moment. Somehow he hadn’t thought about that, he’d been too fixated on people thinking _he_ was gay. There would be other gay men in this bar, single gay men looking for a hookup. If they thought Dean was single too…

“Yeah whatever,” Dean grumbled, turning back around. He stepped a little closer to Castiel nonetheless.

When they finally made it inside, Dean was immediately overcome by so many things at once. The pulsing energy of the music and the atmosphere. The black walls draped in rainbow flags. The crowded bar, thick with so many attractive men. On the other side of the space he could see the dance floor. It wasn’t the stereotype of half naked men that most people would expect, but he spotted several men dancing bare chested.

Dean felt like he was 19 again, sneaking into gay bars in cities where he didn’t know anyone, nervous and excited to experiment. It had been so much fun, until he realized it was easier to just focus on women. He liked them too, liked them just as much as men. And women didn’t come with the baggage of disappointing your family.

“Dean?”

He jumped, feeling Castiel’s hand on his back and his deep voice oh-so-close to his ear.

“Are you okay?”

Dean swallowed and nodded, trying to put on a convincing smile. “Yeah, just taking this all in. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he lied.

Castiel gave Dean a look that suggested he didn’t need grace to know that wasn’t an honest answer. “Let’s go over there, it will be a little quieter in the corner and we can observe the room. Sam is getting us drinks.”

Dean nodded, letting Cas lead them over to what seemed to be the only free table in the back corner of the bar. Castiel’s hand lingered on the small of his back as they crossed the room, only dropping away after they sat down. Dean reminded himself that Cas was just playing his part.

Cas was right, it was the perfect spot, with his back to the corner Dean could see most of the bar and the dance floor. It helped that it was one of those tall table and stool sets, helping him see over the crowd.

Dean did his best to relax, eyes skimming, looking for anyone suspicious. The trouble was there was already such a wide variety of people, it was hard to pick out anyone who looked like they didn’t belong. The bar was like a cross section of the city, and it reminded Dean why the rainbow thing was so appropriate.

While scanning, Dean accidentally caught the eye of a man at the bar. He smiled at Dean, pushing shaggy blond hair away from his blue eyes. A part of Dean’s brain acknowledged that he was _very_ cute. Before Dean knew what was happening, the man was headed right for him.

The blond man slid up to their table, smiling at the both of them. “Hey there.”

Dean smiled nervously, trying to remember how to act. “Um, hi.”

Castiel nodded. “Hello.” He moved a little closer to Dean.

“I haven’t seen you guys here before,” he said, leaning on the table.

“Uh yeah, we’re not from around here,” Dean said. He felt the buzzing energy of being hit on by an attractive man. He’d forgotten how intoxicating it could be. “We’re just passing through, checking out the city.”

“I’m Tom. I’d be happy to give you some pointers, show you around.” He seemed to only be looking at Dean, and he was clearly very interested.

Dean jumped when he felt Castiel’s heavy arm drape across his shoulders. He looked over at his friend, surprised to see a hint of irritation on his face.

“I’m sure we can manage,” Castiel said, polite and a little stiff.

Dean realized his friend was trying to save him from being picked up by this guy, and he found himself leaning into Castiel’s side and smiling at him before turning back to Tom. “But thank you for the offer.”

Tom looked back and forth between the two of them, reassessing. “I don’t suppose you would be interested in a threesome?”

Castiel’s arm tightened around Dean’s shoulders. “I don’t like to share.”

Dean’s stomach flipped at hearing something so _possessive_ come out of Castiel’s mouth. He had to remind himself it was all just an act, trying to cut off the very interested thoughts running through his mind.

Tom laughed, covering his disappointment. “Yeah okay, can’t blame me for trying. You two are super hot together.” He started to pull away from the table with a little wave. “Have a good night.”

Dean watched him walk away, unable to stop the feeling of disappointment when Castiel’s arm left his shoulders.

Sam appeared through the crowd at that moment, carefully holding three drinks. He set down a bottle of beer on the table before passing two tall cocktail glasses over to Cas and Dean.

Dean frowned at the red color in the drink. “What the hell is this?”

“A vodka cran,” Sam said, taking a sip of his beer. “I saw several people order it ahead of me, so it seemed like a good choice to help you blend in.”

Dean glowered at his brother, but took a sip of the drink. He was pleasantly surprised, it wasn’t nearly as sweet as he’d feared, it was tasty and had a nice bite to it.

“Not bad.” Dean smirked at the surprise on Sam’s face as he sipped on the straw.

The three of them sat quietly for a while, working on their drinks and observing the crowd. It was a busy night, so it wasn’t easy to find what they were looking for, but Dean was starting to think this wasn’t the right club.

“I don’t think we’re going to find them here,” he said, eyes still scanning the crowd. Every once in a while he’d accidentally make eye-contact with someone, but now he’d just look away and lean a little closer to Cas, and that seemed to send the message that he wasn’t interested. “Too many regulars, too much awareness. People here look out for each other.” It was actually really nice.

“Yeah, not exactly good hunting grounds,” Sam said, nodding. He set down his empty beer bottle. “Okay, let’s check out the next place.”

Dean drained the last of his vodka cran before they got up, making their way out of the bar.

They only had to walk two blocks to get to the next spot.

“The Tiki Hut?” Dean read, looking up at the sign. “That wasn’t on your list.”

Sam shook his head. “No, the bartender at Q Place recommended it, apparently it’s a great place to look for hookups. That sounds like the kind of place a vamp might hunt.”

Dean frowned. “Great.”

They had their IDs checked again and made their way inside. The whole place was red, including the lights, and the decor was floor to ceiling a completely over the top tiki theme.

Sam lead them over to a table that looked like it belonged on a beach, complete with a pointless indoor umbrella made from palm fronds.

“This place is ridiculous,” Dean muttered as he took a seat between Sam and Cas.

“I think its fun!” Sam said, laughing at Dean’s irritated expression.

There were plenty of people in this bar, but not nearly as much as the last. A waiter actually appeared at their table. He was a handsome young man and he smiled warmly.

“How are you boys today?” He asked, his voice thick with a southern accent that clearly wasn’t from around here.

Sam smiled at him, leaning in to read the waiter’s name tag in the dim light. “Hi Jonathan. We’re great! We definitely need some drinks. How about a round of Mai Tais for me, my brother, and his boyfriend here?”

Dean glared at Sam.

“Coming right up boys!” Jonathan smiled at them as he left, his gaze lingering on Castiel a little too long.

Dean smacked Sam on the arm. “You don’t need to pretend out me to everyone we meet.”

Sam just laughed and ducked away from Dean. “We don’t want people to thing we’re just some straight dudes who came in here to poke fun or something, we need them to think we belong here,” he said. “We need them to trust us or we’ll never get any useful information.”

Dean sighed, shaking his head. “Fine, whatever.” He tried to pretend this whole thing didn’t make him deeply uncomfortable.

Jonathan returned, setting their drinks down on the table. “Here you go, boys!”

“Thank you!” Sam said, sounding painfully cheerful. “Hey you know, we’ve never been here before, this is a cool place!”

Dean rolled his eyes at Sam’s bad acting.

Jonathan smiled politely. “Thank you so much, honey.”

Sam turned serious. “I hope you haven’t had any issues with those horrible disappearances.”

Jonathan’s polite facade dropped a little. “Oh no we haven’t, thank goodness.”

Castiel nodded, putting a hand on Dean’s shoulder. “It’s very unfortunate that we have to worry about such things, but safety is very important. It’s good to know that hasn’t been an issue here.”

Jonathan smiled at Castiel, and it was a little more genuine this time. “You two are the cutest couple I’ve seen all night, you’ve got to tell me how you met?”

Castiel started to speak “We met when I pulled him out of—“

“Of a pool!” Dean jumped in, cutting Castiel off before he could say perdition, quickly scrambling for a story to match his ad lib. “I slipped and hit my head, fell into the pool totally unconscious. Would have drowned if this one hadn’t been there,” he said, patting Castiel on the back, letting his hand linger there for good effect.

Castiel appeared confused for a moment, before he realized his near mistake. “Yes, I worked as a lifeguard at the pool.”

Dean winced at Castiel’s brusk and less than convincing delivery, but the waiter seemed to buy it.

“That is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard!” He exclaimed. “Did you have to perform mouth to mouth?”

Sam nodded, jumping in. “He did! He’s always telling me he woke up to the prettiest blue eyes he’s ever seen in his life.”

Dean bit back the urge to glare at his brother, turning to smile at Castiel instead. “And then I coughed up water all over the place,” he said with a fake laugh.

A very real memory of gasping for air and dragging himself out of the dirt flashed through his mind, and Dean shuddered. Castiel’s arm came around his shoulders and squeezed gently, and Dean wondered if the other man knew what he was thinking about.

Jonathan reached out to pat Castiel on the cheek. “Well your drink is on me tonight, gorgeous! You’re a real life hero!”

Dean was a little irritated about the touching, but mostly he was just entertained by the bemused expression on Castiel’s face. He grinned at Cas after Jonathan walked away. “My hero!”

Castiel blushed, barely visible in the red light, and for a moment Dean forgot Sam was there. Forgot this was supposed to be an act.

But then he remembered and he straightened up, looking away.

This was going to be difficult.

* * *

There wasn’t much to learn at the Tiki Hut, and they didn’t see any sign of vamp activity, so they decided pretty quickly to move on to The Boiler Lounge.

“Do I want to know what that means?” Dean mumbled, looking up at the sign cut in metal.

It turns out it just meant the bar had an industrial theme. Exposed wood beams, black walls, a metal topped bar. The patrons were mostly dressed in relaxed clothes, with a hint of the culture that was left over from Seattle’s grunge past. Dean was actually dressed like he fit in here.

And behind the bar was at _least_ thirty different beer taps.

“Oh, _this_ place is _awesome!_ ” Dean declared, leading the way to the bar where he spied three empty seats.

He was eying all the beer, taking in all the local craft brews as Cas and Sam sat down either side of him.

“Will you try a little harder to look like a real couple?” Sam whispered in Dean’s ear. “You look more into the beer than Cas.”

Dean glared at Sam. “Don’t be rude to the beer.” But he grudgingly accepted the suggestion, leaning into Castiel’s space until he was pressed up against him. It was actually quite comfortable.

The bartender appeared in front of them. “What can I get for you guys?”

“I’ll take your favorite IPA,” Dean said. Remembering Sam’s request, he turned to Cas. “What do you want, babe?” His stomach flipped at how easily that came out.

Castiel’s eyebrows rose faintly, but he turned back to the bartender. “A pilsner, if you have it.”

“We have a nice local one, yeah,” the bartender said, nodding. He turned to Sam, moving on to take his order.

Dean looked over at Cas, jostling his shoulder a little to get his attention. “This okay? All this?” he said, gesturing vaguely to include all the fake relationship stuff.

Castiel nodded, but Dean couldn’t read his expression. “Of course, Dean.” He wrapped an arm around Dean’s waist, squeezing gently.

Castiel’s hand on his hip made Dean shiver, successfully distracting him from his concerns. He smiled at Cas, leaning in a little closer before he turned his attention back to the bar, listening as Sam chatted up the bartender, trying to get information.

“Oh no, none of that has been going on here,” the man said, shaking his head.

“That’s a relief, this place is great,” Dean said with a friendly smile. “This would totally be my regular bar if I lived here.” He frowned a little, doing his best to appear concerned. “Is there anywhere we should avoid while we’re here? Any rumors about where those disappearances are happening?”

The bartender shook his head. “That’s the scary thing, nobody really seems to know.”

Dean frowned. Another dead end.

Regardless, Dean managed to convince Sam that they might as well spend the rest of the night in this bar. There were plenty of people to talk to, and they had _so much beer._ He convinced Sam they could try other places tomorrow based on the intel they gathered at this magical bar where all the gay men drank beer, and Dean could drink beer and fit right in.

Dean noticed he was definitely getting tipsy as he ordered his third beer. While he waited he looked over to where he’d left Sam and Cas. They’d been talking to one of the regulars when Dean had left them, but now he noticed a new man approaching, who seemed to be quite interested in talking to Castiel.

Too interested.

As soon as Dean got his drink he headed straight back, telling himself he was just returning the favor, he only wanted to save Castiel the embarrassment of being hit on. This wasn’t jealousy. Nope. Definitely not.

Dean returned to Castiel’s side, wrapping an arm around the other man’s waist and leaning in close. “Hey babe,” he said with a grin, turning to look at the stranger and pretending he hadn’t already noticed him. “Oh, hi there.”

The man frowned at Dean, visibly disappointed. “Ah, you must be Castiel’s boyfriend.”

Dean beamed and squeezed Castiel’s waist. “Yep!”

Cas gave him a funny look, but draped an arm across his shoulders. “Yes, this is Dean. My boyfriend.” He smiled softly at Dean. “Garret here was just telling me we should avoid a bar called Off The Cuff.”

Garret nodded, apparently moving on from his disappointment. “Yeah, it’s a sketchy place. With everything going on, the disappearances and all, I’d avoid it.”

Dean and Cas shared a look. Clearly they needed to check that place out. But it was already quite late, so it would have to be first on the list for the next day.

Through the rest of the night they continued to mingle, Dean only leaving Castiel’s side when he needed more beer. Otherwise he stayed close, and the more he drank, the more he was enjoying himself. Chatting with people, laughing, and letting his hands linger on Castiel.

Nothing too scandalous, all above the waist. Just little touches that made them look like they were a couple.

They’d found a table, Dean and Cas sitting close while they talked to some guy named Derrick. Dean hummed and leaned into Castiel’s side, rubbing the other man’s back affectionately, smiling when Cas squeezed his knee under the table.

He told himself it was just the alcohol making him feel so good as he let his head drop to Castiel’s shoulder, feeling the late hour catching up to him. He was just tired and a little drunk, that was all.

Cas shifted to bring his arm around Dean, speaking softly into his ear. “I think it’s time we called it a night. I don’t think we’re going to learn much more.”

They hadn’t picked up much that was terribly useful for their hunt, but they did have a priority list of bars for the next night.

Dean hummed softly, realizing he would fall asleep here on Castiel if given the chance. He groaned and lifted his head, rubbing his face and smiling at Cas. “Yeah, okay.”

Dean absently noticed a funny look on Sam’s face as they left the bar, but when he looked at his brother Sam just smiled.

“I’m driving,” Sam said, demanding the keys to the Impala.

“Good Sammy,” Dean said, grinning and throwing the keys at him as they left the Boiler Lounge. Yeah okay, he was definitely drunk. Which was why he still needed to lean on Cas as they walked to the car.

Later as Sam let them into their motel room, Dean walked up behind Cas and wrapped both arms around his waist, grinning and dropping his chin to the other man’s shoulder. Then Dean froze, realizing there was nobody to pretend for anymore.

He pulled away, patting Cas awkwardly on the shoulder. “Goodnight, buddy,” he mumbled, unable to look at his friend as he pushed past Sam and into their shared motel room.

* * *

The next morning Dean nursed a hangover while he and Sam played FBI at the Seattle Police Station. The only thing they learned was the the police didn’t know anything, which was about as useful as tits on a bull.

On their way back they picked up Castiel where they’d left him, talking to people at the LGBTQ center. He nodded to them both as he climbed into the back seat of the Impala.

“Bad news,” Dean said, looking up at Cas in the rear view mirror. “The cops found two more of the men, dead and drained like the rest.”

Castiel’s brow furrowed with concern. “That’s five victims in six days.”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, so definitely a big nest. Police didn’t have anything else useful for us. How about you?”

Castiel shook his head. “The volunteers at the LGBTQ center didn’t know anything either.”

Dean sighed. “Great. I guess that means we’re bar hopping again tonight.”

“Ok, well let’s go get an early dinner then,” Sam said. “Then based on last night’s intel, the first place on the list tonight is Off The Cuff.”

It wasn’t until later when they walked up to the doors of the bar that Dean realized what the name meant.

“It’s a leather bar, of course it’s a leather bar,” Dean said with a groan. “We’re not going to fit in there,” he said, gesturing to his normal ensemble.

Sam shrugged. “So what, if anyone asks, you’re curious and I’m being supportive.”

Dean groaned, but just shook his head and walked up to the leather glad bouncer, Cas close behind. The burly man only raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything as he checked their IDs and waved them in.

The first thing he noticed was that there was definitely a little more skin at this bar than the last, and his mouth went dry at the sight of a well muscled man in leather pants and nothing else just inside the door. As his eyes scanned the crowd he noticed many other men in various combinations of more or less clothes, but he was relieved to see they weren’t the only people in plain clothes.

He hoped the dim lights hid the way his face was burning as they moved to find a spot near the far wall. Again Sam made for the bar to order drinks, and Dean wondered how Sam could be so comfortable throwing himself into a situation like this.

He supposed it was because his brother actually was straight and wasn’t affected by it all.

There weren’t any open tables, so Dean and Cas found a section of wall to lean against, scanning over the crowd. Again Dean found it difficult to pick out people who didn’t belong. He was just so unfamiliar with a scene like this, he didn’t really know what to make of it. Everyone seemed to be having a good time at least. This bar didn’t really have a dance floor, but there was a small group of men dancing in the corner anyway, and he found it hard to watch without getting a little too interested.

Sam returned with another round of vodka crans, and apparently he got one for himself this time. “I wanted to try it,” he said with a shrug, handing over the other two.

Dean shook his head, taking his drink and sipping it. He had to admit, it was pretty good.

He noticed a tall man with dark hair, and Dean thought he looked a little like Cas. He was wearing black leather pants and a blue flannel shirt which hung open, revealing his well defined chest. Dean wondered how Castiel would look dressed like that, before he caught himself and tried to think of something else.

He didn’t realize the man had caught him looking until he was walking over toward them. He smiled warmly as he approached. “Hey there boys, you’re new.”

Dean tried to smile politely and lean a little into Castiel’s space at the same time. His heart jumped when Castiel’s arm came around his shoulders again, and he leaned in a little more.

“Um, yeah,” Sam said, smiling at the man. “My brother and his boyfriend here have been too chicken to check this place out, so I offered to come with,” he said, elbowing Dean in the ribs.

Dean glared at Sam. He was enjoying this _way_ too much.

The man laughed. “Well then you’re a very good brother.” He looked Sam up and down with interest. “So are you gay too or are you just here for moral support?”

Dean was hopeful for a moment that he’d get to see Sammy flustered, but he was annoyed to see Sam appeared to be completely comfortable.

“Just moral support, I’m straight I’m afraid,” Sam said, as if it was actually quite unfortunate. “My brother is the gay sheep.”

“I’m not gay, I’m bisexual,” Dean said without thinking, startling even himself. He saw the real surprise on both Sam and Castiel’s faces, but he told himself it didn’t count as a real confession, he could say he was just playing along and thought bisexual was more realistic. He decided he’d better lean into the part. “How many times do I have to tell you Sammy, just because I’m dating a man doesn’t make me gay.”

Sam and Cas seemed to accept that and relax.

“Right, sorry,” Sam said, shaking his head. “It was a slip, I didn’t mean it.”

The other man’s curious eyes moved onto Castiel. “And what’s your story, handsome?”

Dean frowned, suddenly feeling a little irritated. He wrapped an arm around Castiel’s waist, telling himself he wasn’t being possessive, just playing along.

“I am neither gay nor straight nor bisexual,” Castiel said, entirely serious. “Gender has no bearing on whom I love.”

“Oh, so you’re pan,” the dark haired man said, then noticed their confusion. “Pansexual, it means you love a person for who they are, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.”

Castiel’s eyebrows rose and he glanced over at Dean.

Dean felt his heart rate pick up, and he had to look away from Castiel’s curious gaze.

“So none of you are actually gay,” the man said with a laugh. “That’s so 21st century of you.” He shook his head, grinning.

Sam smiled at him. “So tell us what this place is like. Is it all regulars or is it new faces every weekend?”

“Mostly regulars,” the man said. “We’re a pretty tight knit community, we look out for our own. Especially with people going missing around here.”

Sam frowned and nodded. “Yeah, we heard about that. Scary stuff. Nobody from here I hope?”

He shook his head, a hard look on his face. “No, thank goodness. And we’re trying to keep it that way.”

“Glad to hear it,” Dean said, taking a heavy sip of his vodka cran. He raised an eyebrow at Sam, clearly all the concerns about this place were paranoid and pointless. They weren’t going to find their vamp nest here.

* * *

“A guy at Off The Cuff said we should check this place out,” Sam said, pointing to the bar they were approaching. “It’s called Pony Show.”

Dean looked up at the sign, noticing it was neon pink. “Okay then.”

They stepped inside, and Dean quickly realized that _everything_ was pink. The walls, the tables, even the _bar_ was pink.

“Holy fuck,” Dean muttered, eyes wide as he looked around. There was a giant glittering pony painted on the wall. “Is this for real?”

The bar was packed, although he quickly noticed there were nearly as many women in this bar as there were men, which seemed out of place. Until he noticed a group of women dressed to the nines, gathered around a woman wearing a bachelorette sash and it all made sense.

He remembered from his brief period of experimentation that you could always find straight women partying in gay bars, and the campier the bar the more women you’d find.

“I need a drink,” Dean said, grabbing Castiel’s arm and dragging him toward the bar. “And a bodyguard,” he added, noticing the bachelorette party eying them like a pack of hungry wolves.

He found a drink menu on the bar, and was irritated to find nothing but ridiculous cocktails. He sighed as he flagged down the bartender. “Three Unicorn Tails, please.”

“That is a ridiculous name,” Castiel said, reading over Dean’s shoulder, both arms wrapping around his waist.

Dean laughed, leaning back against Castiel’s chest. “Yeah, no kidding.”

“Oh my god, you two are _so cute!”_

Dean winced at the high pitched shriek, turning with a fake smile for the women from the bachelorette group. “Um, thanks.”

A young blond woman pressed up close to Dean. “You are so pretty,” she said, patting Dean’s face.

Dean blushed faintly, and he felt Castiel’s arms tighten around him.

“Yes, my boyfriend is very pretty,” Castiel agreed, a little stiffly. “But I must kindly ask you not to touch.”

Dean stomach flipped and he wanted to squirm, hearing that possessive tone in Castiel’s voice. He was getting very good at the pretend boyfriend stuff.

“Aww, I wish I had a man who looked at me like that,” one of the other women said, grinning at Castiel.

Dean turned to look at Cas, wondering what she meant, but Castiel wasn’t looking at him anymore.

“Come dance with us later!” One of the women said, nearly yelling. She was clearly drunk. “It will be so much fun!”

“Yeah, sure,” Dean said, willing to say anything to escape. “We’ll look for you.”

The women seemed to accept this and finally left. Dean turned to see Sam standing behind them, and his brother burst out laughing at the horrified look on Dean’s face, clearly unable to hold it in anymore.

“Yeah okay, I don’t think we’re going to find much here,” Sam admitted. “Lets down these drinks and move on.”

* * *

Sam led the three of them down Pike street, following the map on his phone. “That place Stud Puppy should be right over here…”

Dean shook his head. Where did they come up with the names? He was afraid to think what he was going to find, he’d seen some weird things on the internet…

It turned out it wasn’t scary at all, it was actually a slightly fancy hipster type of place. Based on the crowd, Dean guessed this was the gay bar of choice for the young tech industry types. Dean realized he was definitely older than a lot of the men in the room, and boy was that a weird feeling.

Again the three of them ended up along the wall, only this time they managed to snag a table. Dean sipped another vodka cran, and he worked on it slowly. He didn’t want to get as drunk as he had the night before.

He suddenly realized he’d settled against Cas without even thinking about it, their shoulders resting comfortably together. He was getting a little too used to this.

They’d only been there a few minutes when a far too young looking blond _kid_ came up to their table, with eyes only for Cas. He smiled at him, flashing a row of perfect white teeth, his eyes shining with interest.

Dean already hated him.

“Hey there,” he said, leaning closer to Castiel. “You’re cute, can I buy you a drink?”

“He already has a drink,” Dean said, before Cas could answer. “And a boyfriend. Scram.” He leaned more into Castiel’s space and put a hand on his arm, glowering at the blond.

“Jeez, sorry,” he said, stepping back. “Possessive much?” He rolled his eyes, turning around and walking away.

Sam cleared his throat. “Um, Dean, you’re ah… playing your part a little _too_ well. We could have got some information out of him if you hadn’t scared him off.”

Dean colored, realizing he’d kinda forgotten about that. “I doubt he knew anything, he barely looked old enough to be in here.” He took his hand off Castiel’s arm and looked back out across the room, sipping hard on his drink and ignoring the knowing look on his brother’s face.

The next man to walk up to their table approached Dean, and he couldn’t help but feel pleased when Castiel’s arm wrapped around his back. Dean let himself lean against Castiel’s shoulder, savoring the strength he could feel there.

The man was certainly attractive, with a darker complexion and rich brown eyes. He was maybe in his late twenties.

“Hey, I know this is a little forward,” the man said, “but I’m new to town so I don’t know anyone, and you guys seem to be the only people in here who are even close to my age. My name is Josh.”

Dean offered him a smile in return and introduced them. “I’m afraid we’re not from here, we’re just visiting the city.”

Josh looked a little disappointed. “Oh okay, no worries.” He sighed. “Turns out it’s hard to make new friends in Seattle.”

Sam nodded. “I’ve heard that. How long have you been here?”

“A couple months,” Josh said. “I’ve been coming here every weekend because a couple of my coworkers are regulars. But I think I’m just too old to fit in, and with the disappearances I think I need to find a new bar.”

Dean perked up. “Oh we heard about that, that’s not happening here is it?”

Josh nodded. “Yeah, apparently a few of the missing men were regulars here. They weren’t taken from here, as far as anyone knows, but it’s still kinda a creepy coincidence. Makes you wonder.” His eyes cast around the room, as if he suddenly expected to spot the culprit.

Dean couldn’t help but look around again himself, seeing the room in a new light. A minute ago he’d written this place off as too fancy, but now it somehow had a more sinister air.

“Is there any overlap between the missing regulars from here?” Sam asked, clearly trying to sound casual. “Did they hook up with the same guy or something?”

Josh shook his head. “Not that anyone seems to know, believe me, I’ve asked. The only thing they had in common was that they also liked to frequent Gayborhood, the big new dance club over on Broadway.”

Sam raised an eyebrow at Dean, and he internally groaned. He knew were they would be going tomorrow night.

* * *

The next morning was a little easier on Dean, and he was grateful he’d decided to go light on the drinks. Especially when Sam suggested they should go talk to family of the missing. It was hard enough to manage those conversations without a hangover.

Dean parked the Impala in front of an old brick house. “I don’t see why we can’t do the FBI cover,” he protested.

“I think we’ll get more information if they think we’re his friends,” Sam said, looking down at his laptop screen. “It looks like this guy Jason had a great relationship with his parents, so we can expect them to be supportive.” He turned the screen to show them a picture of the missing man with what looked like a boyfriend and his parents. “Boyfriend’s name is Danny, by the way, and his best friend is Serena.”

Dean sighed. “Jason, Danny, Serena, got it.” He climbed out of the car. “Don’t forget the flowers, Cas.”

The three of them headed up the walk and Dean rang the door bell. A middle aged blond woman answered the door, and she looked over them with a tired wariness.

“So sorry to bother you, Mrs. Fredrickson,” Sam said, face lined with concern. “We just wanted to drop by and let you know we’re hoping Jason will be found.”

Dean nodded, face schooled into a mask of sadness. “We’re very worried. We know how close you were, we thought he’d want us to check in on you.”

Castiel stepped forward, offering the white flowers. “These are for you.”

The woman’s face crumpled, and she sounded like she might cry. “Oh. That’s very thoughtful. Please come in.” She opened the door wide. “I’m sorry I don’t think Jason ever mentioned you boys.”

“We know we’re not his closest friends,” Sam said. “We’ve got nothing on Serena. Or Danny obviously.”

“We all go to the same bar every weekend,” Dean explained. “Everyone kinda knows everyone there, like a big family.”

She seemed to accept this, and she nodded sadly. “Well you’re very sweet.”

“We wanted to see if there was anything we could do to help,” Sam said. “We wanted to put up posters, but we weren’t sure where to start, we don’t know where he was seen last.”

The woman frowned. “I’m sorry I really don’t know. That’s part of the problem, nobody knows where he was that night…”

Dean listened intently as she explained everything the police had done so far. How little they’d been able to figure out. How they’d mentioned it was the same for all the missing men, nobody knew where they’d spent their evening before disappearing.

The woman’s pain made Dean’s heart ache, and without thinking he stepped closer to Cas, reaching out to take his hand. The other man squeezed gently in return before letting go.

“Well thank you,” Sam said, sounding quite somber. “I think we’ve bothered you quite enough, we should get out of your hair now.”

She offered them a small, sad smile as she walked them back to the front door. She looked up at Dean and put a hand on his arm. “You two are very sweet together,” she said, gesturing to him and Cas. “You remind me of Jason and his Danny. Clearly you have a lot of love for each other.”

Dean blushed. He didn’t think he’d been doing the relationship thing, he hadn’t even been trying this time.

“Thank you,” Castiel said softly, putting a hand on the small of Dean’s back. “We certainly do.”

Dean let himself be steered out the door by Castiel’s hand, and it wasn’t until the touch dropped away that his mind caught up to Castiel’s words.

* * *

“Just because we’re going to a dance club doesn’t mean we’ll be dancing!” Dean protested.

“How else are we going to fit in?” Sam asked, rolling his eyes dramatically. “It’s Saturday night, it will be packed, we need to get inside the crowd and get a good look at the place.”

“I think a new experience would be interesting,” Castiel said, moving in closer to Dean’s side as they walked down the street toward Gayborhood. “I’d be happy to dance with you, Dean.”

Dean felt his face burn bright and he shook his head in exasperation. “You’re both ganging up on me,” he grumbled.

They had to wait in line for a while, but eventually they made it to the doors. They paid the cover and stepped inside.

Dean froze, eyes going wide as he took in the huge club. It was as if all the other bars were only a warm up, only a hint at what could be.

The place was dark, but regularly lit up by flashes of color. Strobe lights, disco balls, and brightly colored beams bathed the whole space in rainbows. The music was loud, a familiar 80s song remixed with a steady dance beat kept the energy high. Almost the entire space was taken up by a huge dance floor, packed with a sea of men bathed in glitter, dancing and moving to the beat. The room was dotted with a half a dozen raised platforms, each just big enough for a nearly naked go-go dancer, wearing nothing more than a thong and moving in time to the rhythm.

A shirtless man brushed up behind Dean, running his hand over his back. “Hey baby,” he said with a grin, winking at him before he turned away to head for the dance floor.

For a moment Dean was frozen, anxiety and excitement at war in his brain. But then he felt Castiel’s familiar arm around his waist and he relaxed and started to breathe a little easier.

“It’s okay, Dean,” Castiel said, squeezing him gently and offering him a soft smile.

Dean blinked at him for a moment, letting himself linger on Castiel’s blue eyes. It always amazed him that the former angel could be so calm, no matter the situation. It seemed to be contagious, and he felt himself relax further.

Dean smiled tentatively. “Thanks,” he murmured. “I think I’m good now.”

Sam was watching them, he appeared a little concerned but he didn’t say anything about it. “There’s a coat check,” he said instead.

It was hot inside, so Sam and Dean paid the extra to leave their jackets before moving towards the dance floor. Dean caught several men admiring him in his tight black teeshirt, and he was amused by the way Castiel would glare at them and steer Dean away.

They’d decided it was best not to drink tonight, all three of them felt like they were getting a little too close to their targets, and they needed to keep their wits about them.

“I’m going to check things out,” Sam said. “I’ll look for you on the dance floor in a bit.”

Before Dean could object, Sam was gone, leaving him with Cas. He looked out at the massive sea of dancing men—and a few women—and realized Sam was right. The place was too big, too dark, too many people. They’d never get a good look at the place unless they got out on the floor.

“Come on,” Cas said, smiling softly at Dean and taking his hand.

Dean gaped for a moment, then finally nodded and let himself be led.

Cas held Dean’s hand firmly and started to work his way into the mass of people, weaving his way through. The people moved and shifted around them, and it reminded Dean of a rolling ocean the way they moved together with the music. He distantly thought this should be making him feel claustrophobic, but somehow it didn’t, and he wondered if it had anything to do with Castiel’s hand holding his tight.

Dean continued to follow Cas until they found a raised dance platform in the middle of the room. It was only two steps higher than the rest of the space, and only big enough to fit maybe a dozen people at once, but Castiel managed to find an opening and tugged Dean up there with him. It gave them just enough vantage to look out over the crowd.

“Dance with me,” Castiel said, having to speak right in Dean’s ear to be heard over the music. “We need to blend in.”

Castiel’s eyes were dark and his hands went to Dean’s hips and pulled them closer together, and suddenly Dean was pretty sure this wasn’t an act anymore. Not for either of them. He wrapped his arms around Castiel’s shoulders and decided not to question it. He moved with the music, holding on tight to Castiel.

Dean found himself grinning as he relaxed into it, and he laughed when someone shot off a glitter bomb over their heads and it gently rained down on them. He suddenly knew why people loved this. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so free, so full of energy. His body moved with the beat and he felt like he could dance all night.  

Castiel was laughing too, grinning wider than Dean could ever remember seeing before. He held Dean tight, pulling him in closer and speaking in Dean’s ear. “Don’t let me distract you too much,” he said. “Do you see anything?”

Dean was a little shocked to realize he’d nearly forgotten why they were on the dance floor in the first place. “Not yet,” he said, looking out over Castiel’s shoulder to scan the room. It was hard to focus with Castile’s strong hands on his hips, inching lower.

Dean’s heart was pounding as he continued to dance. His eyes scanned the crowd, still looking, but he was more than a little distracted by his growing arousal. He was careful not to let his hips touch Castiel’s. As much as he wanted to know if his interest was returned, he didn’t think he could handle it if it wasn’t.

But then Castiel was the one to push his hips forward, and Dean was suddenly very aware that the other man was _definitely_ interested. He let out a long groan and let himself go, pressed himself hip to hip to Cas, and they started to move together in a delicious grind.

Castiel was breathing hard, pulling him closer. “Dean…”

“Cas…” Dean echoed, head swimming. God, he felt like he would cum in his jeans if they kept this up.

“I want you, Dean…” Castiel growled, grinding his hard length against Dean’s thigh, possessive hands holding him tight. “Need you…”

Dean groaned. “Fuck Cas, please…” he gasped out, his own aching need building desperately.

Only somehow, even through the haze of lust, Dean noticed something that distracted him. A familiar blond head, with blue eyes that were almost too bright, leading a cute young man towards the back door of the club. And when the blond turned back to smile at the younger man with him, Dean somehow managed to recognize Tom, the same man they’d met their first night in Seattle. And he spotted a glint of vampire fangs in the dim club light.

“Cas, come on!” Dean shouted, suddenly jumping from the platform, dragging Cas behind him by the hand.

Cas didn’t question him, just followed, ready as ever to jump into a fight with Dean.

Just as they made it out of the crowd, Dean was suddenly face to face with Sam, who put both hands out to stop him.

“Dean, wait!” Sam said, quickly steering them towards a quiet corner.

“Sam, that guy Tom is the vamp, he’s taking some guy out the back door,” Dean said urgently, trying to get Sam to follow him.

Sam shook his head, keeping his voice as quiet as the noisy club would allow. “That’s not the back door, Dean, that’s the VIP room.” He glanced over at it, then back to Dean and Cas. “I managed to sneak a look, there were a half dozen vamps in there feeding. I think the nest owns the club.”

Dean froze, then nodded. “Okay, come on. We need to regroup and come up with a plan.” He turned and headed for the exit.

Once they’d reclaimed their jackets they left, walking back towards the Impala. At the very least they were going to need machetes, although Dean hadn’t yet figured out how they were going to get them into the club.

“There’s got to be a back door,” Dean said, looking at Sam. He didn’t look at Cas. He couldn’t look at Cas. “I vote we pick the lock and go in blazing.”

Sam shook his head. “That’s a horrible idea, Dean,” he said, sounding exasperated. “There will be too many witnesses. And besides, there’s no way they actually _live_ in that club, I circled the whole place, there’s no room for living spaces. We should wait them out and follow them back to their nest at the end of the night. Better to get them all in one place.”

Dean grumbled, admitting to himself that sounded like a better plan. “Yeah, fine, as long as I get to kick some ass tonight that’s fine by me.”

They went back to get the Impala from the garage where they’d left her, each of them arming up with a machete and making sure they were razor sharp.

Dean managed to offer Cas a tentative smile, reaching out to gently brush his fingers over the other man’s hand. “Be careful, Cas.”

Castiel nodded, a small smile on his otherwise serious face. “You too, Dean.”

Dean’s stomach flipped and he turned away before he could think any more about what had happened. He climbed into the driver’s seat, waiting for Sam and Cas to get in before he pulled out of the garage.

They returned to the club, pulling slowly into the alley on the other side of the street. Dean found a quiet spot to idle the car, where they could watch the back door.

“Now we wait,” Dean mumbled, watching intently.

The other two nodded.

They sat in silence for a while before Sam finally spoke, not taking his eyes away from the club door. “So by the way, I saw you two out on the dance floor, are you going to just pretend that didn’t happen?”

Dean’s stomach dropped hard. “W-what?” His eyes went to the rear view mirror, briefly making eye contact with Castiel before he looked away.

“You know I don’t care, right?” Sam said, still not taking his eyes off the door. “You two are good together, I think you should give it a shot.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dean lied, eyes back on the door and not budging. “We were just blending in, that’s all. It was nothing.”

He waited for Cas to agree, but when he didn’t hear anything he peaked in the rear view mirror again. The clear hurt he saw in the blue eyes felt like a stab in the gut, and he tore his gaze away again, feeling like total shit.

The car was dead silent, all three of them watching the door, with nothing left to say.

Dean wasn’t sure how much time had passed when a large SUV pulled around the corner and into the alley across the street.

“This is it,” Dean said, putting the car into drive. “Look sharp.”

They watched as several people piled out the back door of the club and into the SUV. When it left, Dean carefully followed at a safe distance.

It turned out the nest was in a large old house in a nearby neighborhood. Dean parked the Impala down the street so they wouldn’t be noticed, and they walked around the block so they could come at the house from behind. They cut through a neighbors side yard and hopped the fence into the backyard of the vampire nest’s home.

The backyard was heavily planted, and it felt a little like creeping through a jungle for a moment. Dean supposed this was one way the nest kept themselves hidden in a busy city neighborhood.

Just as they were coming around the last bush, Dean noticed a couple of goons sitting on the back porch. They were dressed like hipsters, and they were passing a joint back and forth between them. They would have fit right into the Seattle neighborhood if it weren’t for the glint of fangs Dean could see in the moonlight.

Dean gestured silently to Sam and Cas, and they backtracked a little, finding a different path through the bushes so they could come at the back porch from the other way. Once they made it around to the side of the house, Dean gestured for Sam to give him a left up over the side of the porch railing.

Sam nodded, face grim as they braced themselves for the coming fight.

Dean glanced at his brother and Cas, letting his gaze linger on the former angel for an extra moment. Then he gestured for Sam, who silently moved to boost him over.

The moment Dean was in the air, his mind narrowed to the task at hand. He had the two on the porch dispatched before they could speak, and he was already opening the back door as Sam and Cas rounded the corner and hurried up the back stairs.

They moved from room to room, working like a well practiced team. The alarm was raised, Dean could hear shouting upstairs, but it didn’t break his focus. He dispatched two more in the kitchen, one in the living room. He heard Sam take one out in the dining room, and Cas take one down by the front door.

With the bottom floor cleared, they moved up the stairs, meeting two half way, sending separated bodies and heads over the side of the railing. When they reached the landing, Sam continued up to the third floor without a word, while Dean and Cas split up to clear the second floor.

Dean dropped one in the hallway, then kicked down the door to a bedroom to dispatch two more. He heard Castiel do the same a couple doors down, and heard the sound of another tumbling down the stairs from above. Dean broke into the last bedroom and found two more, taking care of one easily. The second one managed to distract him by raking his arm with sharp claws. Dean gasped and grabbed at his bloodied arm, the distraction allowing the vampire to slip past him and escape into the hallway.

Dean looked up to see the vampire running toward Castiel’s turned back. “Cas, look out!” he shouted.

Cas turned just in time, his machete taking care of the threat.

They had the floor cleared, so Dean quickly moved to the stairs to follow his brother. “Sam!”

“All clear, Dean!” Sam called back down. “Come give me a hand!”

Dean and Cas passed several decapitated vampires, one of whom Dean recognized was Tom from the club, before they found Sam in one of the last bedrooms. He was using his machete to cut free three very frightened looking young men.

Dean was relieved to see that one of them was the man he’d seen Tom lure into the VIP room.

Sam looked up at them. “Feeders,” he said grimly. “So the good news is they were never turned. Unfortunately it sounds like the rest of the missing men are dead, apparently this nest had a bad habit of bleeding their feeders dry.”

* * *

The three liberated men were pretty traumatized, but they managed to help collect all the vampire remains and pile them into the shed in the backyard. There was enough scrap wood in there with them that it only took some gasoline and a match to make a decent funeral pyre. They took off pretty quickly after lighting it, not wanting to be around when the fire department showed up. The rescued men expressed their gratitude before hurrying off on foot, declining the offer of a ride, apparently not quite ready to trust a new set of strangers.

The three of them got back to the Impala, quickly jumping in and getting out of there. They made it safely a few miles away from the house when Cas put a hand on Dean’s shoulder. “You should pull over so we can bandage that arm. Before you get blood on the upholstery.”

Dean laughed softly. Cas knew just how to motivate him. He pulled over to a quiet side street, getting out of the car with Cas and opening the trunk. He watched quietly as Castiel cleaned and bandaged his forearm. Neither of them said anything, but the delicate care Cas afforded him spoke volumes.

Dean wanted to speak. Wanted to apologize for putting Cas through this whole fake relationship crap. Wanted to say something that would put all of this back to normal. Wanted to undo this horrible mess and go back to how things used to be.

Castiel’s eyes were low, fixated on the bandage, refusing to look at Dean. The closer Dean looked, the more miserable he appeared to be.

Dean had really fucked this all up, and he had no idea how to fix it.

When they were done, Dean climbed back into the drivers seat while Cas put the first aid kit away in the trunk.

Sam sighed and shook his head. “You know you’re a dumbass, right?”

Dean snorted, looking at his arm. “Yeah.” His heart ached.

Castiel climbed into the backseat of the car and they got back on the road, heading for the motel.

* * *

Dean took the couch that night, insisting it was his turn, letting Sam and Cas have the beds. Somehow he knew he wasn’t going to sleep well anyway, might as well not sleep on the couch. He lay awake late into the night, staring up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with him.

Sam had made it abundantly clear that he didn’t care. That he thought it was a good idea.  
Sure his dad would have disowned him and all, but he was dead, so that really shouldn’t matter. He was pretty sure Jack didn’t understand the difference, and his mom and Jody had both dropped some pretty seriously supportive hints over the years.

And Cas was clearly very interested, it wasn’t like he needed to be worried about rejection.

So why couldn’t Dean just get over his shit and admit he loved Cas?

He thought about how natural it had felt to spend time with Cas as if they were a couple. It hadn’t been all that different really. They were just closer. Touchier.

Suddenly Dean was overcome with a need to know what Castiel’s lips tasted like. He was both sorry and relieved they’d never had to fake a kiss throughout this case. He wanted to know what it was like.

Dean thought about the gay clubs. It was so liberating to be in an environment where two men together was perfectly natural.

But after this they were going home, back to Kansas, back to middle America where gay bars were scarce and so was the easy acceptance they’d enjoyed in Seattle.

Dean wasn’t sure he could handle that.

* * *

“We just need to check it out, make sure we got them all,” Sam said, again leading them toward the line outside Gayborhood. “I’m a little worried that the club isn’t shut down.”

“I still don’t think this is necessary,” Dean grumbled, following Sam. “They probably just have a human manager who hasn’t realized the owners are missing.”

Castiel followed a few steps behind them, not saying anything. He hadn’t spoken a word to Dean all day, and Dean was trying to hide how much that bothered him.

“Hopefully, but we have to be sure,” Sam said.

They didn’t speak as they got in line. Again they waited, and again they paid the cover and went inside.

Dean’s stomach twisted at the flood of memories from the previous night. “Let’s split up, I’m going to check out the bar.” He needed to get away from Castiel’s sad eyes and Sam’s knowing face.

Dean checked his coat, then went to the bar and ordered a beer. He sat by himself as he drank it, watching the people around him.

He expected to be hit on again, but it turned out you don’t need a fake boyfriend to scare people off when you look like you’re going to punch the next person who speaks to you.

He finished his beer and decided he should check out more of the club. He circled the dance floor and saw nothing. He found the VIP room unguarded and empty. He found Sam coming out of the backroom, shaking his head.

“I snuck back to the office,” Sam said, yelling over the music. “Overheard the manager saying he hasn’t been able to reach any of the owners all day. I think we’re good.”

Dean nodded. “Okay, let’s find Cas and get out of here.” He turned back to the main part of the large space, searching for the familiar head of black hair.

“There he is.” Sam pointed into the crowd. “Oh, he’s dancing with someone,” he said, sounding surprised.

“What?” Dean’s head whipped around, searching where Sam was pointing.

He spotted Cas, and his stomach dropped at the sight of him dancing with a very attractive man. The stranger was about Castiel’s height, had sandy blond hair and his tank top showed off his well muscled arms. He was definitely hot, and he was pressed up close to Castiel, hips grinding together as they danced.

“That guy kinda looks like you…”

Dean stared, frozen in place.

All this time he’d been so focused on his own crap, he’d never really stopped to think about Cas. He realized he’d just kind of assumed he’d always be there, waiting for him.

He’d never thought about Cas moving on from him, meeting someone else.

That wasn’t fair, he should want Cas to be happy. He shouldn’t expect him to be alone for the rest of his life, just because Dean was too scared to act on his feelings.

He’d been a really shitty friend.

Dean pulled his gaze away from Cas. “Good for him. He deserves to be happy,” he mumbled, turning back to Sam.

“Dean…” Sam put both hands on his shoulders, squeezing gently. “Give me one good reason the two of you can’t be happy together. A _real_ reason, Dean, the opinions of dead people don’t count.”

Dean stared at Sam. He racked his brain, trying to remember why he was doing this to himself. Why he was letting Cas slip away from him. Suddenly all his stupid insecurities seemed like nothing next to the fear of losing Cas.

He blinked at Sam. “Yeah, I’ve got nothing.”

Dean was already moving through the crowd before he could hear Sam’s reply. He wasn’t thinking, he just needed to get between that man and Castiel. He crossed the room with long strides.

“Get the fuck off my boyfriend,” Dean snapped, shoving the man away and hooking an arm around Castiel’s waist.

“What the hell, man,” the stranger complained, stumbling backward. “We were just dancing, asshole.” He looked like he wanted to pick a fight over it, but he seemed to reconsider after he saw the dark look on Dean’s face, and instead he just shook his head and walked away.

Dean turned to Castiel, and found him standing perfectly still, brow furrowed with irritation.

“We don’t need to pretend anymore, Dean,” Cas said, trying to push Dean’s arm off his waist. “Please, just leave me alone.” He sounded hurt and frustrated.

Dean’s heart was pounding, but he was suddenly determined. “I’m not pretending,” he said, holding on to Cas tight and refusing to let go. He nearly had to shout to be heard over the music. “I was never pretending,” he admitted.

Castiel froze, staring at Dean for a moment. He suddenly looked quite vulnerable. “Are you sure? I can’t keep going back and forth with you, Dean.”

Dean nodded reaching up to cup Castiel’s face in his hand. “I’m sure. I’m more than sure.”

He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Castiel’s lips. The other man was still for a moment, then his arms came around Dean and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Dean groaned as their tongues tangled, and he was not disappointed to learn that Castiel tasted amazing.

Dean wasn’t sure how long they were kissing before he pulled back with a laugh. “Dance with me, Cas,” he demanded, wrapping his arms around the other man’s neck.

Castiel grinned wide. The music pulsed around them as he pulled Dean in flush, until their bodies met perfectly. Dean pressed a kiss to Castiel’s neck as they started to move together, grinding and moving with the beat.

Dean felt the crowd pushing in around them. He’d always thought this would feel suffocating, but somehow it was freeing. The anonymity of just being one with the crowd. Bodies pressed so close that nobody could see when Castiel’s hands moved to cup his ass, squeezing firmly while they moved together.

Dean pulled back just enough to kiss Cas again, dizzy with the freedom of knowing he could do that now, just because he wanted to.

* * *

When they finally stumbled out of the club, Dean knew they were definitely going to need to get their own room when they got back to the motel. Probably from now on, actually. It made Dean giddy to think of it.

The spell cracked a little when he saw some young people looking at them funny, and he realized he was still holding Castiel’s hand, only they weren’t in the safety of the club anymore.

Dean smiled sadly, bringing their joined hands up so he could kiss the back of Castiel’s wrist as they walked. “I’m sorry for what I said to Sam yesterday. And I’m sorry in advance, because I know I’m going to be shit at coming out to people, and I don’t want to hurt your feelings.” Dean looked down at his feet while they walked. “You really deserve better than me.”

Cas frowned and stopped walking, pulling Dean around to face him. “Dean, I love you,” he said, as if it were that simple. “I will take this at whatever pace makes you comfortable, we can tell as many people or as few people as you want, I don’t care. As long as you are happy, that’s the only thing that matters to me.”

Dean was floored, and he just stared at Castiel for a long moment. “I love you too, Cas,” he said, finding the words suddenly easy to say. “Come on.”

Dean tugged on Castiel’s hand, walking around the corner to where they’d parked the car. He spotted Sam waiting for them, leaning against the Impala.

Dean felt Castiel’s hand go lax in his grip, and he realized the other man expected him to drop his hand in front of his brother. But Dean just held on tighter, determined to manage at least this much for Cas.

“Hiya, Sammy!” Dean called, grinning wide as he walked up to him, hand in hand with Castiel. “You ready to get out of here?”

Sam looked up at them, a delighted grin spreading across his face when he took in their joined hands. “Hell yeah I am,” he said, laughing and wrapping them both up in an enthusiastic hug.

“Yeah yeah, okay Sammy,” Dean said, laughing as he pushed Sam off. He turned and grinned at Cas, pleased to see the same happiness shining in Castiel’s eyes.

“But you’re driving,” Sam said, walking around to the passenger side door. “Don’t think I’m going to drive you two around while you neck in the back like teenagers.”

Dean shook his head, pretending to be horribly affronted. “We would never,” he declared, knowing full well it was a lie as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

Sam took his usual place at shotgun and Castiel got into the back. Dean looked up at the rear view mirror, taking a moment to look at Cas, and his heart felt so full. He had everything he’d ever wanted.

Castiel’s blue eyes sparkled and he smiled at Dean in the mirror.

Dean grinned. “Let’s go home.”

* * *

**Epilogue**

Dean wrapped his arms around Cas from behind, looking down at the giant stack of perfectly cooked waffles. “That looks amazing, babe!” He noticed the huge spread of options for toppings. “Holy shit!”

Castiel smiled as he pulled the last one from the waffle iron, leaning back into Dean. “I know, I went a little overboard.”

“I think it looks great,” Dean said, pressing a kiss to Castiel’s cheek.

“Aren’t you two adorable.”

Dean felt his cheeks heat a little when he heard his mother’s voice, but he turned to smile at her, pulling away from Cas to give her a hug. “Good morning, Mom.”

She grinned at them, giving each of them a kiss on the cheek in turn. “Let me help you, Cas,” she said, moving to get out plates and silverware.

“Thank you,” Castiel said, smiling at Mary before he turned back to Dean, kissing him softly before he turned back to his waffles. “That’s more than your son offered,” he said, teasingly.

“Hey!” Dean barked a laugh. “It’s not my fault, you distracted me!”

* * *

Dean threw a duffle bag into the back of the Impala, turning back to Sam. “I’ll have my phone, and you have the keys to Castiel’s car if you need it.” He reached back to close the trunk with a thump.

“We’ll be fine Dean,” Sam said, shaking his head. “Just promise me you’ll show Cas a good time.”

Dean grinned. “Oh I intend to.”

Sam considered Dean for a moment. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you happier than you’ve been the last three months. Since Seattle.”

Dean shrugged, face turning a little pink. “Yeah, must have been something in the rain.”

Sam laughed. “It didn’t rain the whole time we were there.”

“Didn’t it?” Dean asked, faking innocence.

Castiel stepped into the garage, smiling as he crossed to where Dean waited. “Are we ready?”

Dean reached for Cas, pulling him in for a kiss. “Very ready.”

“Ugh, okay, bye!” Sam said, making a show of hiding his eyes.

Dean and Cas waved him off, saying their goodbyes and getting into the car.

* * *

It was a little over a four hour drive to Kansas City, but Dean didn’t mind. They took advantage of having the car to themselves, talking, listening to music. Castiel sat in the front middle, which let him throw his arm over the bench seat behind Dean. Dean pressed up against Castiel’s side, resting his free hand on the other man’s thigh.

When they finally made it to their destination Dean parked the car, and the two of them walked down the street together, until they found the entrance to Q Spot.

“It’s not as big as the clubs in Seattle,” Dean said, wrapping an arm around Castiel’s middle as they joined the back of the line waiting to get in. “But it has a bar and a dance floor, and we can dance the night away.”

Castiel grinned, throwing an arm over Dean’s shoulder’s. “Sounds great.”

It wasn’t long before they were out on the floor, moving together to the music, pressed tight together.

Dean felt another man press up against his back, but Castiel growled at the man and pushed him away. “Mine!”

Dean groaned and dropped his head to Castiel’s shoulder. “Fuck Cas, you know what it does to me when you get all possessive.”

He heard Castiel chuckle, felt the tight grip of his hands on his ass.

“I know exactly what it does to you,” Castiel murmured, letting their hips grind together to make his point. “That’s my favorite part of taking you out clubbing.”

Dean laughed and grinned. “You’re horrible, Cas. And I love you.”

Castiel leaned in for a lingering kiss. “I love you too, Dean.”

* * *

They danced until the club closed, finally stumbling back to their hotel room at three in the morning. They passed out at dawn, tangled in the sheets, Castiel’s arms wrapped tight around Dean. They nearly slept through check out, but fortunately at some point they had thought to set an alarm.

They got lunch at the closest diner they could find, then got in the Impala to head home.

Cas sighed and pillowed his head against Dean’s shoulder. “Have I ever told you I love your green eyes?” he asked through a yawn. “That man last night said you have pretty eyes. You should know I also think you have pretty eyes.”

Dean laughed, wrapping an arm around Castiel. “He was super drunk. I believe what he said was ‘you’re the greenest green to ever green.’ It took me a minute to figure out he meant my eyes.”

“Well you have the prettiest green eyes I’ve ever seen,” Castiel mumbled, lack of sleep clearly catching up with him.

Dean smiled fondly. “Yeah, well you have the prettiest _blue_ eyes I’ve ever seen, so I think we’re even.”

Cas let out a content hum, eyes closing. “Then I guess we were meant to be.”

Dean ran his fingers through Castiel’s hair, his heart feeling like it just might burst. “Yeah, I guess we were.”

Cas slept on Dean’s shoulder for the rest of the drive home.

Dean wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This story is also on Tumblr here: [destielfluffnstuff.tumblr.com](http://destielfluffnstuff.tumblr.com/post/178288141806/destiel-fic-vampires-are-easy-sexuality-is), if you like reblogging things <3! I also take prompts!


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